Reinforced clothespin



Oct. 19, 1943.

J. R. NOLAN REINFORCED CLOTHESPINS Filed Feb. 25, 1942 Patented Oct. 19, 1943l UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE REINFORCED CLOTHESPIN John R. Nolan, Larchmont, N. Y.

Application February 25, 1942, Serial No. 432,198

1 Claim.

The object of this invention is to provide a bifurcated wooden clothespin having confined therein a reinforcing element effective to preventI the splitting of the body of the pin when the prongs or legs thereof are subjected to excessive spreading strain while the pin is in service, and this without impairing the transverse strength of the prongs or legs in the Vicinity of the crotch.

A bifurcated wooden clothespin embodying the principle of my invention Will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clothespin having a conned reinforcement at the crotch of the pin, which reinforcement is indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the reinforced pin, as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the reinforced pin.

Referring to the drawing, I designates the body, and l l the prongs or legs of a conventional bifurcated wooden clothespin, wherein the grain of the wood extends longitudinally of the pin.

According to my invention a metallic reinforcing element of substantially U-form is embedded in the body i0, at the crotch I2 of the clothespin, the legs I3 of the element being forced through the angular corners of the crotch and, coincidentally, spread laterally, whereby the extremities of the diverging legs, when the element is driven home toward the head of the pin, extend longitudinally of the body and through the grain of the wood to points a greater distance apart than the width of the crotch, and whereby the connecting portion i4 of the legs I3 extends transversely of the crotch. Thus the diverging legs embedded in the solid body of the clothespin diagonally intersect the lines (y, Fig. 2) of the grain of the wood passing through the respective corners of the crotch, and in consequence such legs co-act with their short connecting portion i4 to reinforce the crotch, thereby preventing the splitting of the body of the pin should the prongs be subjected to excessive spreading strain while in service, and this without impairing the transverse strength of the prongs in the Vicinity of the crotch.

I claim- A bifurcated wooden clothespin having therein a coniined metallic reinforcing element of substantially U-form whereof the legs are driven into the crotch and lengthwise of the interior of the body of the clothespin, the connection for said legs extending transversely of the crotch and said legs diverging laterally from the respective angular corners of the crotch into and through the grain of the body to points a greater distance apart than the width of the crotch.

J OHN R. NOLAN. 

